Picking a Shopify plan shouldn't feel like defusing a bomb — but for a lot of new store owners, it kind of does. Too cheap and you're missing features. Too expensive and you're burning money on tools you don't need yet.
The good news? There's a right answer for where you are right now. This guide will walk you through all five plans, what you actually get, and which one fits your situation — no fluff, no jargon, just straight talk.
Step 1: Understand What You're Paying For
Before picking a plan, it helps to know what Shopify is actually charging you for. Your monthly fee isn't just "rent" for the platform — it directly affects three things:
- Transaction fees — how much Shopify takes per sale if you're not using Shopify Payments
- Staff accounts — how many people can log in to your admin
- Reports and analytics — how much data you can see about your store's performance
The higher the plan, the lower your fees and the more tools you unlock. Simple enough.
💡 Pro tip: Paying annually saves you 25% on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans. Don't lock in until you've tested the waters though — start monthly, then switch.
[Image: A clean side-by-side comparison table of all 5 plans (Starter, Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus) showing monthly price, transaction fee %, and staff accounts — like a feature matrix]
Step 2: Get to Know Each Plan
The Starter Plan — $5/month
This is the "I have a product and a social media account" plan. And that's not an insult — it's genuinely great for what it is.
With Starter, you don't get a full online store. Instead, you get shareable product links you can drop into Instagram bios, TikTok profiles, WhatsApp chats, or email campaigns. Shopify handles the checkout, you handle getting people there.
Who it's for:
- Creators testing a product idea before committing to a full store
- Social sellers on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, or messaging apps
- Anyone who wants to start selling today without designing a website
What to watch out for: No full storefront, very limited app access, and you can't upgrade your POS. It's a starting block, not a finish line.
Pro tip: Use Starter to validate demand. Once orders are coming in consistently, upgrade to Basic and give customers a real store to trust.
The Basic Plan — $39/month (or $29/month billed annually)
This is where your actual store begins. Basic gives you a full, customizable online storefront — real product pages, a real domain, real themes — and everything you need to run a solo operation.
Here's what you get:
- A full online store with unlimited products
- Access to free and paid themes
- Basic reports (sales, traffic, inventory)
- Discount codes and abandoned cart recovery
- Up to 10 inventory locations
- Up to 77% shipping discounts
- Card rates starting at 2.9% + 30¢ online
- Third-party payment fees: 2%
Who it's for:
- Anyone launching their first real Shopify store
- Solo operators — no staff accounts needed
- Businesses in early stages where keeping costs low matters
What to watch out for: No staff accounts (you can't add team members to the backend). Reports are functional but not deep. And transaction fees are highest on this tier if you're not using Shopify Payments.
[Image: Screenshot or mockup of the Shopify Basic admin dashboard highlighting the Products, Orders, and Analytics sections in the left sidebar]
The Grow Plan — $105/month (or $79/month billed annually)
Yes, Shopify renamed their old "Shopify" mid-tier plan to "Grow." A little confusing — but if you've seen it called the Shopify plan before, it's the same thing with a shinier name.
This is where solo stores grow into small teams and start making data-driven decisions.
What you get on top of Basic:
- 5 staff accounts — finally bring in some help
- Professional reports — sales trends, customer behavior, product insights
- Up to 87% shipping discounts (plus shipping insurance)
- Card rates starting at 2.7% + 30¢ online
- Third-party payment fees drop to 1% (down from 2%)
Who it's for:
- Stores processing consistent monthly orders
- Small teams of 2–5 people managing the store together
- Businesses hitting a ceiling on Basic who need better data to grow
The fee drop alone can justify the upgrade. At real volume, moving from 2% to 1% on third-party processing saves you more than the plan difference costs.
[Image: Side-by-side comparison of Basic vs. Grow report screens in the Shopify admin — showing the expanded analytics available on Grow]
The Advanced Plan — $399/month (or $299/month billed annually)
Advanced is for stores that are genuinely scaling. This isn't a plan you grow into — it's one you grow up to when the math makes sense.
What justifies the price tag:
- 15 staff accounts
- Custom reports — build your own analytics dashboards
- Third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout — essential for international stores
- Local storefronts by market — sell globally with localized shopping experiences
- Card rates starting at 2.5% + 30¢ online
- Third-party payment fees drop to 0.6%
- Enhanced 24/7 chat support
Who it's for:
- High-volume stores where lower transaction fees pay for the plan upgrade
- Businesses selling internationally who need localized pricing and market tools
- Operations with larger teams and complex reporting needs
The math that matters: At $50,000/month in sales using a third-party processor, you pay $1,000/month in fees on Basic (2%) vs. $300/month on Advanced (0.6%). That's $700 in savings — on a plan that costs $299/month billed annually. It pays for itself.
The Plus Plan — Starting at $2,300/month (on a 3-year term)
Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier. If you're wondering whether you need it, you almost certainly don't yet — and that's completely fine. But it's worth knowing what it unlocks.
What Plus adds over everything else:
- Unlimited staff accounts
- 200 inventory locations (vs. 10 on all other standard plans)
- Priority 24/7 phone support
- Fully customizable checkout — advanced branding, conversion tools, and Shopify Functions
- B2B and wholesale built-in from a single store
- Up to 200 POS Pro locations included
- Up to 9 free expansion stores for different markets, languages, or channels
- Lowest transaction fees for high-volume merchants (0.2% third-party)
Who it's for:
- Stores doing 7-figure revenue who need enterprise-level infrastructure
- Brands selling both D2C and wholesale (B2B) from one platform
- Businesses with complex checkout customization, automation, or multi-store needs
What to watch out for: Plus requires a 1- or 3-year commitment — this isn't a "let me try it" plan. Make sure your volume and complexity actually justify it before signing on the dotted line.
Step 3: Pick Your Plan Based on Where You Are Right Now
Here's the no-fluff breakdown:
| Where You Are | Best Plan | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Testing an idea, selling on social | Starter | $5/mo |
| Launching a real store, working solo | Basic | $29/mo (annual) |
| Growing, need reporting + a team | Grow | $79/mo (annual) |
| High volume, international, custom data | Advanced | $299/mo (annual) |
| Enterprise, B2B, complex operations | Plus | From $2,300/mo |
Don't overthink it. Start with the plan that fits now — you can upgrade or downgrade at any time without losing any data.
Bonus: Hidden Costs to Watch For
The plan price is just the beginning. Here's what can quietly inflate your monthly bill:
- Apps — most paid apps run $10–$30/month. Using 3–5 of them adds $50–$150 before you blink
- Third-party payment processors — using Stripe, PayPal, or any gateway other than Shopify Payments means paying Shopify an extra transaction fee (2%, 1%, or 0.6% depending on plan). Use Shopify Payments when you can to avoid this entirely
- POS Pro — basic in-person selling is included free, but full retail features cost $89/month per location
- Premium themes — one-time purchase, but worth factoring in upfront
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- ❌ Starting on Advanced because "you want the best" — you'll pay $400/month for features you won't use for months
- ❌ Staying on Starter too long — customers trust a real storefront more than a checkout link; upgrading to Basic can directly improve your conversions
- ❌ Ignoring transaction fees — at scale, the fee difference between plans can cost more than the upgrade itself
- ❌ Forgetting app costs — your real monthly cost is plan + apps, not just the plan price
- ❌ Staying on monthly billing once you're committed — switching to annual saves 25% and that's just free money
Avoid these, and you're already ahead of most new store owners.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a Shopify plan really comes down to matching your current stage to the right set of tools. Start lean, prove the concept, and upgrade when the numbers actually justify it.
Starter to get moving. Basic to build something real. Grow when the team and data needs kick in. Advanced when volume makes the fee savings matter. Plus when you're running a full-blown operation.
When in doubt, start simple — you can always move up, and Shopify won't hold it against you.